Planning and Development Services

PDS Staff

Meet the Director

Planning and Development Services Director

Peter Huffman

As director of the Planning and Development Services Department, Peter Huffman is responsible for comprehensive land use planning, building and land use permitting, inspections, and cross-departmental and regional coordination of planning and development policy for the City of Tacoma.

Major initiatives Huffman has led include development of the Permit Services Enterprise Fund and initiation of the implementation of a cost-for-service permit fee methodology, as well as formation and operation of cross-functional planning and development services teams to improve the delivery of permitting services and the process for developing zoning and development standards.

Huffman joined the City of Tacoma in 1994 as an urban planner conducting policy analysis on land use and transportation planning issues. He also served as an economic development specialist for four years staffing the Neighborhood Business District Revitalization Program. For nine years, he managed the long-range and comprehensive planning functions for the City of Tacoma before being named assistant director of the Community and Economic Development Department in January 2010.  As assistant director, he directed the planning and development services of the Building and Land Use Services Division.

In January 2013, the Planning and Development Services Department was created combining the former Building and Land Use Division with the long-range planning and historic preservation functions into one department. Huffman was named interim director. In this role he is continuing to move forward with efforts aimed at improving the customer service culture, predictability and timeliness of Tacoma’s planning and permitting services.

Education

• Master of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Oregon
• B.A. in Political Science, Central Washington University

Professional Memberships and Affiliations

• American Planning Association
• Urban Land Institute

Email

Long Range Planning

Management and Administration
	PLANNING DIVISION MANAGER Brian Boudet Brian is passionate about working in the great City of Tacoma and partnering with the community and other leaders to create a vibrant, dynamic urban place that all can be proud of. Brian brings more than 18 years of local-level community planning and implementation experience and has successfully managed and supervised numerous flagship planning initiatives, including the One Tacoma Plan, Hilltop Subarea Plan & EIS, Infill Residential Design Program, and the Mixed-Use Centers policy and code development projects. As the City’s Planning Division Manager, he is involved in city-wide administration and employee development initiatives, departmental budgeting, project management, consultant administration, and leading long-range land use, environmental, housing, and capital facilities planning. Brian holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Urban Geography from the University of Washington, as well as certifications in Supervision and Management from Tacoma Community College and the University of Washington Tacoma’s Milgard School of Business.  He is a founding member of Tacoma’s own urban design lecture series – Conversations Re: Tacoma – and has been a guest lecturer at the Evergreen State College, University of Washington Tacoma, and regional planning conferences. Before coming to Tacoma, Brian worked as a Current Planner for Pierce County’s Planning and Land Services Department. Beyond work, Brian enjoys spending time outdoors in his native Pacific Northwest—hiking, camping, snowboarding, and playing on the water with his wife, two kids, friends, and family.
	ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Mary Crabtree Mary is the Administrative Assistant to the long-range planners and historic preservation officers for the City of Tacoma. She was born and raised in East Texas but planted roots in Washington in 2011. Mary earned an Associate in Business and certificates in customer service, entrepreneurship, human resources management, sales, and supervision and management from Pierce College. She is committed to learning new things and growing personally and professionally, to add value to herself and to those around her. During her time off, Mary loves baking, crafting, spending time with family, and hiking in the great outdoors when it is not raining.
Comprehensive Planning Program
	PRINCIPAL PLANNER Stephen Atkinson Stephen is a Principal Planner for the City of Tacoma, and has managed multiple long-range planning initiatives, including a makeover of the City’s Shoreline Master Program and Comprehensive Plan. Stephen has a Master of Regional Planning degree from Cornell University and a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies from the University of Washington, Tacoma. After graduation, Stephen spent considerable time wandering and studying urban and rural China, from Beijing to the small village of Xizhou in Yunnan Province. In his downtime, Stephen enjoys urban farming with his family, rainforest hikes, reading sports blogs, karaoke, and homebrew.
	SENIOR PLANNER Maryam Moeinian Maryam is a Senior Planner supporting long-range planning initiatives for the City of Tacoma. She holds a Master of Urban Planning degree from Minnesota State University-Mankato and a Bachelor of Science in Urban Engineering. She has been working as a City Planner/Urban Designer for both public and private entities since 2012. She has a thorough understanding of local planning from her experience working for multiple cities in Washington, Arizona and Minnesota. Outside of work, Maryam enjoys exploring new places within the city, hiking, camping, backpacking, and spending time with her fiancé, their dog, and two cats. A passionate traveler, Maryam has journeyed across three continents and visited 21 countries. Her travels have broadened her global perspective and deepened her commitment to sustainable urban development.
	SENIOR PLANNER Adam Nolan Adam is an Senior Planner with the long-range planning team at City of Tacoma. Military service brought him to the Puget Sound-region, and he has since worked as a laborer and in the service industry, alongside holding project management and consultant roles in the production of a documentary film, local oral history and storytelling projects, and other community-based projects. Since completing the MA Community Planning program at UW Tacoma, he has worked as a social service provider assisting unhoused veterans and families in obtaining permanent housing and accessing a broad range of resources. Outside of work, he enjoys running around streets and trails, hiking and backpacking, exploring music, and spending time with friends/family.
	SENIOR PLANNER Wesley Rhodes Wesley is a Senior Planner supporting long-range planning initiatives for the City of Tacoma. Prior to moving to Tacoma, he worked as a planner in NYC and Nashville, TN. He has a wide range of planning experience working for nonprofits and international NGOs, city and regional governments, and private consulting firms. Most of his work has been at the intersection of climate resiliency and transportation planning, and he is passionate about public engagement. Wesley has an MS in Urban Planning from Columbia University in the City of New York and a BS in Urban Studies from Tennessee State University. Outside of work he enjoys nature and hiking, running, cooking, coffee, and meditation. He is also an avid traveler having visited more than 30 countries on five continents. He is excited to call the PNW home having settled in Tacoma with his wife and their two cats.
Urban Design Studio
	SENIOR PLANNER Stephen Antupit As a Senior Planner, Stephen brings to the Urban Design Studio deep passion and diverse expertise to support equity, resilience, and livability. His portfolio includes urban design and planning accomplishments at the Comprehensive Plan policy level, crafting Land Use Code provisions, launching and leading Station Area Planning and large-scale mixed-income redevelopment programs, and crafting and implementing award-winning master plan visions. Stephen equally enjoys challenges at detailed, site and streetscape scales as well as complex initiatives of citywide and regional impact. In all, Stephen embraces a commitment to inclusive stakeholder engagement, creative partnerships, and strategic fun with a purpose. He has served as city and public agency staff, as a design team consultant, and as an engaged professional on behalf of Northwest communities large and small for three decades. He considers his marriage and two grown children to be his greatest source of pride and joy. Stephen holds a Master of Urban Design in Landscape Architecture from the University of Washington and a Bachelor of Liberal Arts and Sciences in Renewable Energy Policy from The Colorado College.
	SENIOR PLANNER Carl Metz Carl is a Senior Planner supporting the Urban Design program. Before he moved to Tacoma with his family in 2019, he worked as a Planner in cities in Oregon and Arizona. He has a wide range of planning experience, from reviewing building permits to processing all manner of land use applications as well as managing historic preservation programs. Carl has a Masters of Urban and Environmental Planning and a BA in Political Science with a minor in Urban Planning from Arizona State University. Outside of work, he loves spending time with his family, traveling, and getting outside as much as possible for hikes, bike rides, or lawn bowling at Wright Park. He is passionate about planning issues and considers it a great privilege to work for the City of Tacoma.
Historic Preservation
	PRINCIPAL PLANNER Reuben McKnight Reuben has been Historic Preservation Officer at the City of Tacoma since 2003. He has a Masters of Urban Planning from the University of Washington, and an undergraduate degree in Anthropology from Western Washington University. Reuben has served on the Board of Directors for the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation, the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions and Preservation Action, as well as a term on the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board. Prior to working in Historic Preservation, Reuben worked as a field archaeologist in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho.
	SENIOR PLANNER Susan Johnson Prior to becoming the Historic Preservation Coordinator, Susan spent fourteen years as an Architectural Historian with Artifacts Consulting, Inc. She obtained her MS in Historic Preservation from the University of Oregon and has worked on a wide variety of preservation projects in the Pacific Northwest, including but not limited to compliance documentation, state and federal tax incentive-funded rehabilitations, register nominations, cultural landscape reports, preservation plans, and survey/inventory. Before pursuing a career in historic preservation, Susan worked as a draft animal handler and a craftsperson in metal and wood on historic farms in the Midwest. She holds a BA in Anthropology from Kalamazoo College and has lived abroad in Scotland and in Guatemala. As part of her Peace Corps service in the latter, she worked in community outreach and agricultural training. She has conversational proficiency in Spanish.
PDS Community Engagement
	PRINCIPAL PLANNER Lauren Hoogkamer Lauren is the Principal Planner leading the City of Tacoma’s PDS Community Engagement team. She specializes in equitable outreach, engagement, and communications for planning and preservation issues. For seven years, she served as the Assistant Historic Preservation Officer for the City of Tacoma, where she managed the award-winning outreach and education program, as well as staffed the Landmarks Preservation Commission. She holds an MS in Historic Preservation and an MS in Urban Planning from Columbia University, as well as a BA/BA in Print Journalism and History and a Minor in Business from the University of Southern California. Previously, Lauren was a historic preservation consultant under her own business, Cultural Resources Research and Consulting. She has also received awards for journalism and poetry and has research published by the World Monuments Fund. Lauren grew up in rural Lewis County, WA, but now lives in Tacoma with her husband, two sons, a dog, and a cat. Lauren’s goals are to ensure that our built environment represents and meets the needs of our diverse community. Her work is inspired by her experiences as a multicultural woman– she is Mexican, Trinidadian, Black, French, Chinese, South Indian, European, and currently exploring her Latinx indigenous roots.